By Mandi Rice, St. Louis Public Radio
ST. LOUIS –
Another major road race is coming to St. Louis. The Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis Marathon is expected to bring thousands of runners to the area next fall.
Part of a national brand of full and half-marathons, the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, features a different live band at every mile. Scott Dickey is the event's president.
Dickey said that given the success of St. Louis' other marathon, the Go! St. Louis marathon held each spring, the city is a logical choice for this popular event.
"The addition of a Rock 'n' Roll marathon in every one of our cities has not only expanded the market and brought more people to the sport of running, but also ultimately positively impacted each and every one of those events," Dickey said.
City officials expect the race to attract up to 18,000 runners each year and add $20 million to the downtown economy.
Kitty Ratcliffe of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission said that the race will mean significant tourism revenue for the city.
"They're estimating they'll have somewhere between 16,000 to 18,000 runners from out of town, and a good majority of those, maybe 60 percent, will stay in hotels," Ratcliffe said.
The event will take the place of the annual Lewis and Clark Marathon in St. Charles.